7 important new build ‘snags’ that first time buyers need to keep an eye on at completion

Buying your first house is possibly the most important time of your life so the last thing you want is something going wrong.

You’ve spent weeks waiting for your mortgage offer, completion date and to get your hands on the keys.

Months and years of saving have led to this point so when you move in you want the house to be absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately, new build houses come with an inherent set of problems, though minor you need to be able to find and fix these snags before your builder moves on.

Luckily for, the majority of these issues can be easily fixed, but you should keep an eye out for:

Blown bricks – Often when builders are constructing houses bricks get chipped. It won’t look like much from the outset but a small chip on the surface of a brick can cause issues when it comes to winter. Keep an eye on bricks that have broken surfaces, they will let in water and freeze and expand in winter. Luckily for you there will be a 10-year warranty on your sparkly new house.

Patchy or lines in the turf – Your new build should come with a perfect lawn, ready to start flourishing but sometimes you can get lines between ‘carpets’ of turf. You should try and pull the turf closer or fill immediately with grass seeds.

Doors not ‘tight’ – Something I’ve seen a lot is doors rattling while shut when there is breeze running through the house, possibly the most annoying noise in the world. It’s an easy fix though, it’s just the ‘latch’ that needs moving a few milometers.

Ceiling ‘spots’ – With new builds you can often get a ring-shaped lump that surfaces and displaces paint on your ceilings. This is nothing to worry about, it’s simply a slight bit of movement or weight on the floors above causing ‘dropped’ fixings. These will usually be cleared up on your 6-month assessment.

Marks on walls – During your moving day, as hard as you will try, there’s bound to be a mark or two on your walls. Whatever you do don’t try and wash it off. New builds have breathable paint, this is to let the walls get some air and dry out if any damp exists from the build process. Simply let the stain dry and then paint over the top of it with more breathable paint. Don’t paint using normal paint or wallpaper for at least 12-months after moving in.

Door chips – One often unseen issue with new build houses are door chips, the frame can get hit frequently during installation and moving in. Make sure you check the edges and add it to your snag list.

· Boiler temp set too high – Most new builds nowadays come with a solar panel or two, meaning that you substitute lots of £ in electricity bills thanks to the government making builders utilise them. Under a certain temperature, your boiler running is basically free, on third of your boilers capacity will be heated up by the solar panel unless your temperature is set to high. A good target is 40 degrees, typically this will give you enough daily water to shower, wash and do your normal household activities without costing you a penny.